Plain language summary
Paediatric obesity has been shown to be managed most effectively when interventions with multiple components, such as dietary changes, physical activity, supportive parental involvement, and behavioural strategies are included. The aim to the study was to evaluate whether baseline or changes in psychological dimensions of eating behaviours could account for variability in weight status outcomes. For this study, children aged between 7 – 12 years with a fasting blood glucose level of ≤100mg/dl and with a BMI z-score of 1.60 – 2.65 were recruited. The participants were randomly assigned to one of the three diet groups (low carbohydrate, reduced glycaemic load or portion-controlled diet). The study results show that eating behaviours improved significantly with all diets, and increased cognitive restraint and decreased hunger were sustained at 12 months. Disinhibition also remained significantly lower at 12 months for the reduced glycaemic load group. Authors conclude that targeting diets to youth with obesity who have specific characteristics such as sex, race, and/or lower baseline hunger or higher baseline cognitive restraint scores may lead to better outcomes.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study's objective was to determine whether two distinct carbohydrate (CHO)-modified diets and a standard portion-controlled (PC) diet differentially impacted children's eating behaviors and whether eating behavior scores predicted lower BMI among children with obesity. METHODS Children (n = 102) aged 7-12 years with obesity were randomly assigned to a 12-month intervention of a low-carbohydrate (LC), reduced glycemic load (RGL), or standard PC diet. The Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) was completed at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months by parents to characterize their child's hunger (H), disinhibition (D), and cognitive restraint (CR). Baseline and follow-up TFEQ scores by diet were evaluated relative to BMI status over time. RESULTS All diet groups showed increased CR and decreased H and D from baseline to 3 months, with differences from baseline remaining at 12 months for CR and H. Lower BMI status during study follow-up was associated with different TFEQ scores by diet group (LC and RGL: higher CR; PC: lower H), adjusting for sex, age, and race. Higher CR at follow-up was predicted by race and higher baseline CR; only lower H at baseline predicted lower H at follow-up. CONCLUSION Eating behaviors improved significantly with all diets during the initial 3 months; higher CR and lower H were sustained at treatment's end. BMI outcomes were associated with different eating behaviors in CHO-modified diet groups compared with PC diets. Targeting diets of children with obesity with specific baseline characteristics may lead to improved outcomes.
Methodological quality
Allocation concealment
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